Endogenous prostaglandins modulate chloride secretion by prairie dog gallbladder

In addition to concentrating bile, the gallbladder secretes chloride (Cl-) and mucus into its lumen. We recently observed that gallbladder Cl- secretion is increased in prairie dogs during the formation of cholesterol crystals, a period of altered mucosal prostaglandin synthesis. Pathologic Cl- secretion is characteristic of other epithelial disorders such as cystic fibrosis and hypercalciuric nephrolithiasis and may be important in gallstone pathogenesis. We hypothesized that concentrations of endogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) found during experimental gallstone formation may mediate increased Cl- secretion by prairie dog gallbladder. Prairie dog gallbladders were harvested by cholecystectomy and mounted in Ussing chambers. Unidirectional transepithelial Cl-, Na+, and H20 fluxes were measured before and after inhibition of endogenous prostaglandin synthesis with 10 micromol/L indomethacin. Gallbladders were then exposed to increasing concentrations of PGE2 to a maximal dose of 1 micromol/L, as found in animals with gallstones. Standard electrophysiologic parameters were recorded simultaneously. Indomethacin increased mucosal resistance and stimulated gallbladder Na+ and Cl- absorption. These effects were rapidly reversed by PGE2. PGE2 promoted Cl- secretion and decreased mucosal Na+ absorption at concentrations found in the gallbladder bile of animals with gallstones. Endogenous prostaglandin metabolism modulates gallbladder Cl- secretion and may promote changes in Cl- transport associated with cholelithiasis.     

The effects of magnesium on ion transport in short-circuited rabbit terminal ileum

The effects of MgCl2 on the electrical characteristics and sodium and chloride transport in short-circuited rabbit terminal ileum in vitro were studied. Increasing the magnesium concentration from a basal concentration of 1.1 mmol/l to either 2.5 or 10.3 mmol/l (mucosal or serosal addition) resulted in increases in the unidirectional flux of chloride from serosa to mucosa (JCl sm), short-circuit current (SCC) and transmucosal potential difference (p.d.). Increasing the magnesium concentration from a low basal concentration (0.3 mmol/l) to 10.3 mmol/l (mucosal or serosal addition) abolished net sodium absorption and converted net chloride absorption into net secretion, as a result of a decrease in the unidirectional flux of sodium from mucosa to serosa (JNa ms), and increases in the unidirectional fluxes of sodium and chloride from serosa to mucosa (JNa sm and JCl sm). Increases in SCC and p.d. occurred after mucosal, but not serosal, addition of magnesium. Incubation of stripped ileal mucosa with MgCl2 (10.3 mmol/l) did not result in increased mucosal concentrations of cAMP or cGMP. These data suggest that at least part of the cathartic effect of magnesium salts is likely to result from marked changes in ileal ion transport and provide a rational explanation for the watery diarrhoea commonly seen after the oral administration of magnesium salts to hypomagnesaemic patients.     

Mechanism by which bile salt disrupts the gastric mucosal barrier in the dog.

Bile salts disrupt a functional "gastric mucosal barrier" increasing net forward-diffusion (+) of Na+ and back-diffusion (-) of H+. Studying canine Heidenhain pouches, we attempted to distinguish between two possible mechanisms for this effect: (a) mucosal uptake of bile salt with subsequent cellular injury or (b) dissolution of mucosal lipids by intralumenal bile salt. A 10 mM mixture of six conjugated bile salts simulating the proportions found in human bile induced net Na+ flux of 15.5 +/- 3.2 and net H+ flux of -9.9 +/- 3.3 mueq/min. This change was accompanied by an increase in phospholipid efflux out of gastric mucosa from a base-line value of 13.2 +/- 2.7 to 54.8 +/- 2.8 nmol/min (P < 0.001) and an increase in cholesterol efflux from 11.7 +/- 3.8 to 36.3 +/- 3.2 nmol/min (P < 0.001). Saturation with lecithin (25 mM) and cholesterol (50 mM) blocked disruption of the gastric mucosal barrier by bile salt (Na+ flux - 1.2 +/- 0.9, H+ flux 0.6 +/- 1.8 mueq/min). A 10 mM solution of taurodehydrocholate, a bile salt that does not form micelles, induced no net Na+ (-0.3 +/- 0.8) or H+ flux (-0.7 +/- 1.4) and did not increase efflux of phospholipid (11.3 +/- 1.7) or cholesterol (10.4 +/- 2.0) over base line. Bile salt was absorbed from the mixture of six conjugates at 752 +/- 85 nmol/min. Addition of subsaturation amounts of lecithin (4 mM) reduced bile salt absorption three fold to 252 +/- 57 (P < 0.001), but abnormal Na+ flux (14.1 +/- 3.4) and H+ flux (-15.6 +/- 3.5) persisted. Taurodehydrocholate was absorbed to an intermediate extent (467 +/- 116). Dissolution of mucosal lipids is apparently the mechanism by which bile salt disrupts the gastric mucosal barrier, and presumably at least one mechanism by which bile salt can injure the gastric mucosa.     

Effect of neuropeptide Y on ion transport by the rabbit ileum

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is present in fibers extending from the submucous plexus to the epithelium of the small intestine where the liberation of NPY might affect ion transport. We sought the effects of NPY on rabbit ileal mucosa stripped of muscularis propria and mounted in a flux chamber. NPY reduced the transmural electrical potential difference and short circuit current (Isc) and increased total ionic conductance. Threshold and maximal effects were evoked at concentrations of 1 nM and 1 microM, respectively. NPY increased chloride absorption, JCl(net), by increasing the flux of Cl from mucosa to serosa, JCl(ms), and by decreasing JCl(sm). JNa(net) actually diminished because JNa(sm) rose more than JNa(ms). In the presence of NPY theophylline 5 mM caused Cl secretion, increased potential difference and Isc and reduced total ionic conductance, indicating that the tissue could respond to a secretagogue. Tetrodotoxin 0.1 microM did not diminish the Isc reduction caused by NPY, and desensitization did not alter the response of the tissue to electrical field stimulation. Like somatostatin and norepinephrine, which are also present in the submucous plexus, NPY increases Cl absorption, but unlike them, it reduces rather than augments Na absorption. The lack of effect of tetrodotoxin on the Isc response to NPY implies that NPY does not act by liberating a second neurotransmitter; the lack of effect of NPY desensitization indicates that the liberation of NPY plays no significant role in the response of the tissue to electrical field stimulation.     

Reversal of Cyclic AMP-Mediated Intestinal Secretion by Ethacrynic Acid

Ethacrynic acid (EA) has been reported to reduce cholera toxin-induced intestinal fluid secretion in the intact animal. We explored the nature of this inhibition in vitro by measuring unidirectional, transmural fluxes of (22)Na and (36)Cl across isolated rabbit ileal mucosa. Under control conditions (short-circuited mucosa bathed in bicarbonate-Ringer), there was net absorption of Na and Cl. Theophylline (10 mM), cyclic AMP (5 mM), and cholera toxin (added in vivo) abolished net Na flux and produced net Cl secretion. In the presence of either theophylline or cAMP, addition of 0.1 mM EA to the serosal bathing solution abolished net Cl secretion and restored net Na absorption. Cholera toxin-treated mucosa was exposed to 0.05 and 1.0 mM EA. The lower concentration restored net Na absorption but did not significantly reduce Cl secretion. The higher concentration abolished net transport of both Na and Cl. Short-circuit current and Na flux measurements in the presence and absence of glucose indicated that 0.1 mM EA does not inhibit glucose-coupled Na transport. Short-circuit current measurements in the presence of 1.0 mM EA suggested that even this concentration of EA does not inhibit glucose-coupled Na transport. Thus EA appears to specifically inhibit Cl (or NaCl) secretion without inhibiting the absorptive Na "pump." The anti-secretory effect of 0.1 mM EA does not appear to result from inhibition of adenylate cyclase since secretion stimulated by addition of 5 mM cAMP was abolished. Furthermore, 0.1 mM EA did not significantly reduce theophylline-augmented and cholera toxin-augmented cAMP levels in ileal mucosa. We conclude that EA interacts specifically with the active Cl (or NaCl) secretory mechanism of the small intestine at a step beyond generation of cAMP.     

The mechanism of decreased intestinal sodium and water absorption after acute volume expansion in the rat

Studies were performed in rat small intestine in vivo to determine the effect of saline infusion on intestinal transport of Na(+) and H(2)O. Saline infusion decreased net Na(+) flux (J(n) (Na)) from 12.7 +/-0.8 to 6.4 +/-1.5 muEq/hr per cm in the jejunum when the intestinal perfusate contained both Na(+) and glucose. A similar fall in J(n) (Na) occurred in ileum. When mannitol was substituted for glucose in the perfusate, control absorption decreased 29% in jejunum and 18% in ileum, but saline infusion still caused a decrease in J(n) (Na) quantitatively similar to that seen when glucose was present. When choline was substituted for Na(+) in the perfusate, there was net movement of Na(+) from blood to lumen during control and this net secretion was increased further after saline infusion. These observations suggest that saline infusion has a similar effect to decrease intestinal J(n) (Na) under three widely different conditions of basal sodium transport. Permeability of intestinal mucosa to inulin was very low under basal conditions but increased fivefold after saline infusion, and the unidirectional flux of Na(+) from blood to lumen doubled. This increase in unidirectional flux of Na(+) was greater than the observed decrease in J(n) (Na).Thus, saline infusion decreased net absorption of Na(+) and H(2)O from small intestine through mechanisms which did not appear to be dependent upon the rate of Na(+) flux from lumen to blood, and in association with an increased flux of inulin and Na(+) into the intestinal lumen. The data suggest that the effect of saline infusion to decrease net absorption from the intestine could be due either to an increase in passive permeability of the epithelium which could disrupt solute gradients within the membrane or to an increase in flow of solution into the intestinal lumen.     

Pharmacological characterization of neural mechanisms regulating mucosal ion transport in mouse jejunum

Neural regulation of electrolyte transport in mouse jejunum was investigated in vitro using: 1) a full-thickness intestinal segment (intact preparation) and 2) a mucosal preparation, consisting of only mucosa, basement membrane and muscularis mucosa. In Ussing chambers, intact tissues exhibited high- and low-frequency oscillations of basal transmural potential difference (PD) and short-circuit current (Isc), whereas mucosal tissues exhibited only low-frequency oscillation of these parameters. High-frequency oscillations of PD and Isc were found to originate from muscle activity. Under basal conditions, intact tissues exhibited net Na+ absorption and net Cl- secretion, whereas mucosal tissues displayed greater net Na+ absorption and net Cl- absorption. When applied to the serosal medium of intact tissues, tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin, and chlorisondamine, a ganglionic blocking agent, caused a concentration-dependent reduction of basal PD and Isc, whereas atropine produced no significant effect; these agents were without effect in mucosal tissues. Furthermore, in intact tissues, tetrodotoxin caused significant increases in net Na+ absorption and net residual flux, attaining values that were comparable to those seen in mucosal tissues. Carbachol, a muscarinic agonist, and 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperizinium, a ganglionic stimulant, elicited concentration-dependent, transient increases of basal PD and Isc when applied to the serosal medium of intact tissues; in mucosal preparations, carbachol elicited greater changes of basal PD and Isc, whereas 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperizinium produced no significant effect. In intact tissues, Isc responses elicited by carbachol were antagonized by atropine, but not tetrodotoxin or chlorisondamine; Isc responses induced by 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperizinium, however, were blocked by tetrodotoxin or chlorisondamine, but not atropine. These results support the existence of a multisynaptic, and tonically active neural pathway which serves to limit intestinal Na+ transport at some point below the maximal absorptive capacity of the mucosa. Furthermore, cholinergic muscarinic and nicotinic receptors are present in distinct neural pathways that influence intestinal electrolyte transport in the small intestine of the mouse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Lysine Fluxes across the Jejunal Epithelium in Lysinuric Protein Intolerance

Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is one of a group of genetic diseases in which intestinal absorption of the diamino acids lysine, arginine, and ornithine is impaired. In LPI, the clinical symptoms are more severe than in the kindred disorders. The mechanism of lysine absorption was, therefore, investigated in vitro on peroral jejunal biopsy specimens in seven patients with LPI and 27 controls. The lysine concentration ratio between cell compartment and medium was significantly higher in the LPI group (mean±SEM, 7.17±0.60) than in the controls (5.44±0.51). This was also true for the intracellular Na concentration (LPI, 73.6±10.8 mM; controls 42.3±3.7 mM). The rate of unidirectional influx of lysine across the luminal membrane was Na dependent and was the same in the two groups. In the absence of an electrochemical gradient, net transepithelial lysine secretion was observed in LPI. This was entirely the result of a 60% reduction of the unidirectional flux from mucosa to serosa. Calculation of unidirectional fluxes revealed the most striking difference at the basolateral membrane, where the flux from cells to serosa was reduced by 62% and the corresponding permeability coefficient reduced by 71%. A progressive reduction in short-circuit current appeared in the epithelia of all four patients with LPI tested after addition of 3 mM lysine. Thus, LPI appears to be the first disease in which a genetically determined transport defect has been demonstrated at the basolateral membrane.     

Protein kinase C-alpha regulation of gallbladder Na+ transport becomes progressively more dysfunctional during gallstone formation

Gallbladder Na+ absorption and biliary Ca2+ are both increased during gallstone formation and may promote cholesterol nucleation. Na+/H+ exchange (NHE) is a major pathway for gallbladder Na+ transport. Ca2+-dependent second messengers, including protein kinase C (PKC), inhibit basal gallbladder Na+ transport. Multiple PKC isoforms with species- and tissue-specific expression have been reported. In this study we sought to characterize Ca2+-dependent PKC isoforms in gallbladder and to examine their roles in Na+ transport during gallstone formation. Gallbladders were harvested from prairie dogs fed either nonlithogenic chow or 1.2% cholesterol-enriched diet for varying periods to induce various stages of gallstone formation. PKC was activated with the use of phorboldibutyrate, and we assessed gallbladder NHE regulation by measuring unidirectional Na+ flux and dimethylamiloride-inhibitable 22Na+ uptake. We measured gallbladder PKC activity with the use of histone III-S phosphorylation and used G? 6976 to determine PKC-alpha contributions. Gallbladder PKC isoform messenger RNA and protein expression were examined with the use of Northern- and Western-blot analysis, respectively. Prairie dog and human gallbladder expresses PKC-alpha, betaII, and delta isoforms. The PKC activation significantly decreased gallbladder J(Na)(ms) and reduced baseline 22Na+ uptake by inhibiting NHE. PKC-alpha mediated roughly 42% of total PKC activity under basal conditions. PKC-alpha regulates basal gallbladder Na+ transport by way of stimulation of NHE isoform NHE-2 and inhibition of isoform NHE-3. PKC-alpha blockade reversed PKC-induced inhibition of J(Na)(ms) and 22Na+ uptake by about 45% in controls but was progressively less effective during gallstone formation. PKC-alpha contribution to total PKC activity is progressively reduced, whereas expression of PKC-alpha mRNA, and protein increases significantly during gallstone formation. We conclude that PKC-alpha regulation of gallbladder NHE becomes progressively more dysfunctional and may in part account for the increased Na+ absorption observed during gallstone formation.     

In vitro behavior of human intestinal mucosa. The influence of acetyl choline on ion transport.

The possibility that the autonomic nervous system may influence the function of intestinal mucosa was investigated by assessing the effect of acetyl choline on ion transport in human intestine. Isolated pieces of stripped ileal mucosa were mounted in Perspex flux-chambers and bathed in isotonic glucose Ringer's solution. Acetyl choline caused a rise in mean potential difference (8.8-12.3 mV, P less than 0.002) and short circuit current (287.7-417.2 muA-cm-2, P less than 0.01) (n = 12), observable at a concentration of 0.01 mM and maximal at 0.1 mM. This effect was enhanced by neostigmine and blocked by atropine. Isotopic flux determinations revealed a change from a small mean net Cl absorption (58) to a net Cl secretion (-4.3mueq-cm-2-h-1P less than 0.001) due predominantly to an increase in the serosal to mucosal unidirectional flux of Cl (10.63-14.35 mueq-cm-2-h-1P less than 0.05) and a smaller reduction in the mucosal to serosal flux (11.22 to 10.02 mueq-cm-2-h-1P less than 0.05). Unidirectional and net Na transport was unaffected. A similar electrical and ion transport response was observed in a single study of two pieces of jejunal mucosa. In the absence of glucose net chloride secretion was produced and again an insignificant effect on net sodium transport was noted. Acetyl choline did not provoke a sustained effect on mucosal cyclic adenine nucleotide levels although a short-lived cyclic adenine nucleotide response was seen in some tissues 20-30 s after drug addition. These studies demonstrate that acetyl choline does influence human intestinal ion transport by stimulating chloride secretion and suggest a possible mechanism by which the parasympathetic nervous system could be concerned in the control of ion transport.     

Enhanced rectal potassium secretion in chronic renal insufficiency: evidence for large intestinal potassium adaptation in man

The role of the large intestine in K+ excretion in chronic renal insufficiency was studied with a rectal dialysis technique in 14 normal subjects and eight normokalaemic, normotensive patients with chronic renal insufficiency. At initial intraluminal K+ concentrations of 10, 20, 30 and 45 mmol/l, net K+ secretion in patients with renal insufficiency was significantly greater than in normal subjects by approximately 1.8 mumol h-1 cm-2. The increase in net K+ secretion was more marked in those patients with creatinine clearances of less than 10 ml/min. In contrast, there were no significant differences in net Na+ and water transport, transmucosal potential difference and plasma aldosterone concentrations between the two groups. With an initial intraluminal K+ concentration of 30 mmol/l, the addition of amiloride (final concentration 1 mmol/l) to the rectal lumen decreased net Na+ absorption and transmucosal potential difference in normal subjects by 69% (P less than 0.005) and 31% (P less than 0.005) respectively, and in patients with renal insufficiency by 75% (P less than 0.05) and 36% (P less than 0.05) respectively, but there was no change in net K+ secretion in either group. These results indicate that the K+ secretory capacity of the rectal mucosa increases in chronic renal insufficiency, and the large intestine may therefore contribute to the maintenance of K+ homoeostasis as renal K+ excretion declines. Increased rectal K+ secretion in renal insufficiency occurs independently of changes in plasma K+ and aldosterone concentrations, net Na+ absorption and transmucosal potential difference, and may reflect stimulation of an active K+ secretory process.     

内镜下胆囊黏膜电凝消融术的研究

目的：利用实验动物模型,探讨于内镜下行胆囊黏膜电凝消融术的可行性及合理的电凝功率。方法：健康小型猪6只,开腹行胆囊造瘘口术,4周后再次开腹以前列腺电切镜自窦道插入,分别以70W、90W、120W、150W功率电凝消除胆囊黏膜,即时用测温仪测量电凝相应部位的浆膜面温度,手术结束后剪取胆囊送病理检查,光镜下观察胆囊壁热损伤深度。结果：所选电凝功率均能有效消除胆囊黏膜,相同条件下胆囊浆膜面温度和胆囊壁热损伤深度与电凝功率呈正相关。结论：内镜下电凝胆囊黏膜消除术是可行的和安全的;它的适宜电凝功率为70W。     

Colonic electrolyte transport in health and in congenital chloride diarrhea.

Congenital chloride diarrhea (CCD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by watery stools with C1- concentration around 150 meq/liter. We have perfused the colon of three patients and their three healthy siblings with different salt solutions containing 36C1- to determine the nature of the colonic defect in CCD. In the controls, net absorption of Na+ and C1- occurred against steep concentration gradients. The influx (lumen-to-plasms flux) of C1- was twice the effux. Omission of HCO3- from the perfusate caused a clear decrease in C1- efflux which suggests a coupling of C1- effux to HCO3- influx. In CCD, net Na+ absorption occurred normally when HCO3- was present in the lumen. However, Na+ absorption was always impaired when the luminal contents were acid, a situation that prevails in CCD. Net K+ secretion was clearly increased. Both influx and efflux of C1- were practically absent. Only slight net secretion occurred along a steep gradient. Net appearance of HCO3- was not observed, in contrast to controls. These findings and earlier studies of ileal function in CCD are best explained by a defect in the C1-/HCO3- exchange mechanism, which operates in both directions in the normal ileum and colon.     

Luminal secretion of ammonia in the mouse proximal tubule perfused in vitro.

A major portion of the total ammonia (tNH3 = NH3 + NH+4) produced by the isolated perfused mouse proximal tubule is secreted into the luminal fluid. To assess the role of Na+-H+ exchange in net tNH3 secretion, rates of net tNH3 secretion and tNH3 production were measured in proximal tubule segments perfused with control pH 7.4 Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate (KRB) buffer or with modified KRB buffers containing 10 mM sodium and 0.1 mM amiloride. Net tNH3 secretion was inhibited by 90% in proximal tubule segments perfused with the pH 7.4 modified KRB buffer while tNH3 production remained unaffected. The inhibition of net tNH3 secretion by perfusion with the modified KRB buffer was only partially reversed by acidifying the modified KRB luminal perfusate from 7.4 to as low as 6.2. These data indicate that the Na+-H+ exchanger facilitates a major portion of net tNH3 secretion by the proximal tubule and that luminal acidification may play only a partial role in the mechanism by which the Na+-H+ exchanger mediates net tNH3 secretion.     

Anion transport processes in the mammalian superficial proximal straight tubule.

The experiments reported in this paper were designed to evaluate some of the characteristics of anion transport processes during fluid absorption from superficial proximal straight tubules isolated from rabbit kidney. We measured net chemical C1- flux during fluid absorption from tubules perfused and bathed with Krebs-Ringer buffers containing 113.6 mM C1-, 10 mM acetate, and 25 mM HCO-/3 at pH 7.4; assessed the effects of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors on net fluid absorption in the presence and absence of CO2; and evaluated the influx and efflux coefficients for [14C]-acetate transport at 37degreesC, at 21degreesC, and in the presence of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. The experimental data shown that, for this nephron segment, net C1- flux accompanies approximately 27.5% of net Na+ absorption; and net C1- absorption may be accounted for by a passive transport process, primarily diffusional in nature. Fluid absorption in this nephron segment is reduced 40-60% by carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, but only when the tubules are exposed to 95% O2-5% CO2 rather than 100% O2. Thus, it seems probably that approximately half of Na+ absorption in these tubules may be rationalized in terms of a carbonic anhydrase-dependent CO2 hydration process. In addition, there may occur in these isolated proximal tubules an acetazolamide-insensitive moiety of HCO-/3 absorption comparable to that observed for proximal tubules in vivo. Finally, we provide evidence that net efflux of luminal acetate is due to metabolic energy-dependent processes other than CO2 hydration and may, under appropriate conditions, account for approximately one-fourth of net Na+ absorption.     

Effects of vasopressin and bradykinin on anion transport by the rat cortical collecting duct. Evidence for an electroneutral sodium chloride transport pathway.

Our previous studies in cortical collecting ducts isolated from rat kidneys have shown that vasopressin increases both sodium absorption and potassium secretion, while bradykinin inhibits sodium absorption without affecting potassium transport. To determine which anions are affected by these agents, we perfused cortical collecting ducts from rats treated with deoxycorticosterone and measured net chloride flux, net bicarbonate flux (measured as total CO2), transepithelial voltage, and the rate of fluid absorption. Arginine vasopressin (10(-10) M in the peritubular bath) caused a sustained sixfold increase in net chloride absorption and a two- to threefold increase in the magnitude of the lumen negative transepithelial voltage. Before addition of vasopressin, the tubules secreted bicarbonate. Vasopressin abolished the bicarbonate secretion, resulting in net bicarbonate absorption (presumably due to proton secretion) in many tubules. Bradykinin (10(-9) M added to the peritubular bath) caused a reversible 40% inhibition of net chloride absorption, but did not affect the transepithelial voltage or the bicarbonate flux. We concluded: (a) that arginine vasopressin stimulates absorption of chloride and inhibits bicarbonate secretion (or stimulates proton secretion) in the rat cortical collecting duct; and (b) that bradykinin inhibits net chloride absorption in the rat cortical collecting duct without affecting transepithelial voltage or bicarbonate flux. Combining these results with the previous observations on cation fluxes described above, we conclude that bradykinin inhibits electroneutral NaCl absorption (or stimulates electroneutral NaCl secretion) in the rat cortical collecting duct.     

Ricinoleic acid stimulation of active anion secretion in colonic mucosa of the rat.

Perfusion of the colon with ricinoleic acid produces fluid and electrolyte accumulation. The mechanism of these changes in water and electrolyte movement is uknown. These studies were designed to determine whether ricinoleic acid effects active ion transport across isolated rat colonic mucosa. 0.5 mM Na ricinoleate produced significant increases in potential difference (3.8 +/- 0.5 mV) and short-circuit current (Isc) (99.2 +/- 10.1 muA/cm2). The increases in Isc produced by Na ricinoleate were inhibited by both removal of bicarbonate and chloride and by the presence of theophylline. The hydroxy fatty acid also resulted in a significant decrease in net Na absorption from 4.7 +/- 0.8 to 0.1 +/- 0.7 mueq/h cm2 and reversed net Cl transport from absorption (+ 4.5 +/- 0.9) to secretion (-2.2 +/- mueq/h cm2). In parallel studies 0.5 mM Na ricinoleate increased mucosal cyclic AMP content by 58%. The concentrations of Na ricinoleate required to produce detectable and maximal increases in both Isc and cyclic AMP were the same. These results provide evidence in support of the concept that hydroxy fatty acid-induced fluid and electrolyte accumulation is driven by an active ion secretory process.     

The effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on gallbladder function in the cat

The effects of lysoPC on gallbladder net fluid transport and motility were investigated by a perfusion technique in the anesthetized cat. It was found that addition of 1 mumol/ml lysoPC to the buffer perfusate resulted in an immediate contraction of the gallbladder and also a change in net fluid transport from a basal absorption of 0.71 ml/hr to a secretion of 0.34 ml/hr. An increased output of hexosamine and protein from the gallbladder accompanied the lysoPC treatment. Indomethacin--a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor--at a dose of 2 mg/kg caused a relaxation of the gallbladder and abolished the secretion but did not return the gallbladder to its original rate of basal absorption. LysoPC, when added to bile, had a similar effect on net fluid transport but did not induce a contraction of the gallbladder. The results indicate that the effect of lysoPC on gallbladder function could be of importance in acute cholecystitis and that endogenous prostaglandin synthesis may play a part in this lysoPC-induced inflammatory response.     

Bile salts and bioelectric properties of rat jejunum.

Addition of conjugated bile salts increased transmural- and transserosal-potential differences of sheets of rat jejunum. Removal of Cl- from buffer solutions minimized the bile-sale induced bioelectric changes. Bile-salt induced doubling of tissue resistance was not explained by an observed increase in net Cl- serosa leads to mucosa flux. Electrical effects were unrelated to concentration and were observed only when bile-salt solutions perfused the jejunal mucosa. The molecular events associated with bile-salt interactions with the plasma membrane affecting ion fluxes may relate to their unique effects on sterol absorption.     

Fluid and electrolyte transport by cultured human airway epithelia.

An understanding of the fluid and electrolyte transport properties of any epithelium requires knowledge of the direction, rate, and regulation of fluid transport and the composition of the fluid. Although human airway epithelial likely play a key role in controlling the quantity and composition of the respiratory tract fluid, evidence for such a role is not available. To obtain such knowledge, we measured fluid and electrolyte transport by cultured human nasal epithelia. Under basal conditions we found that epithelia absorbed Na+ and fluid; both processes were inhibited by addition of amiloride to the mucosal surface. These data suggest that active Na+ absorption is responsible for fluid absorption. Interestingly, Na+ absorption was not accompanied by the net absorption of Cl-; some other anion accompanied Na+. The combination of cAMP agonists and mucosal amiloride stimulated the secretion of NaCl-rich fluid. But surprisingly, the response to cAMP agonists in the absence of amiloride showed substantial intersubject variability: cAMP stimulated fluid secretion across some epithelia, for others, cAMP stimulated fluid absorption. The explanation for the differences in response is uncertain, but we speculate that the magnitude of apical membrane Na+ conductance may modulate the direction of fluid transport in response to cAMP. We also found that airway epithelial secrete H+ and absorb K+ under basal conditions; both processes were inhibited by cAMP agonists. Because the H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitor, SCH 28080, inhibited K+ absorption, an apical membrane H+/K(+)-ATPase may be at least partly responsible for K+ and H+ transport. However, H+/K+ exchange could not entirely account for the luminal acidification. The finding that cAMP agonists inhibited luminal acidification may be explained by the recent finding that cAMP increases apical HCO3- conductance. These results provide new insights into how the intact airway epithelium may modify the composition of the respiratory tract fluid.